A/N: I would like to thank my friend Star Slightly To The Right for looking over this for me. This is my first fanfiction for this couple so I hope you like it. May IchiHime live on FOREVER!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach.

Chapter 1

The Final Test

Kurosaki Isshin was a very wealthy and respectable man. He ran and owned the Kurosaki hospital that saved countless lives and wouldn't dare charge a dime to the patients that weren't able to pay. He was a very loving man and enjoyed working and hardly took days off. He handed down this kind of character to his two beautiful daughters Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki, but his son Ichigo Kurosaki was very different from the three.

Ichigo was selfish and let the money his father earned engulf him into greediness. He was unkind to others and didn't care about anyone but himself. Some say that that death of his own mother is what caused the young man to grow so insufferable, but still his rebellious actions were not tolerable.

Kurosaki Isshin warned his son that his egocentrism and intolerable actions would only lead him down a road of peril. But, of course, the young Kurosaki didn't listen and continued to let his conceded personality to darken him.

'I have not been punished by my actions yet, so why would I be punished later on?' Is what the young Kurosaki thought.

But all that changed the day he met Kuchiki Rukia, the witch that would turn his steady life upside down.

0o0o0o0

"Get out of my way." Ichigo mumbled as he looked down at the girl. Her eyes were big and blue and her long black hair stopped past her shoulder blades; she truly was beautiful. But it didn't matter how beautiful she was to the boy, he wouldn't take anything from anyone. "I said get out of my way little girl!" He shouted.

A crowd that surrounded the two gasped as Ichigo attempted to push the girl out of his way.

"Ichigo!" A very tall, russet skinned man grabbed the Kurosaki by his shoulder, stopping him from making any further contact with the girl. "You know better than this." He whispered.

'The Ichigo I knew would never raise a hand against a girl. Something inside of him has truly changed and I'm just now realizing it.' The large teen thought as he studied his best friend before him.

"Don't try and stop me Chad!" Ichigo yanked his shoulder out of his friend's hold. "This girl has been begging me for a pencil all day and I'm getting tired of it!" He shouted making the girl before him tremble a bit. "Not only that, but she has been bugging me about little things for the past week!" His face showed his bursting fury. "She is damned annoying!" He sneered.

Chad opened his school bag and pulled out and ordinary pencil, offering it to the girl. "You can have this." His voice was deep but caring at the same time.

The girl shook her head. "No thank you, sir." She smiled up at the man. "It is very important that Kurosaki gives me a pencil."

"Tch." Ichigo breathed. "You want a pencil from me that badly?" He pulled out several pencils from his school bag. "How about I give you all of these!" He threw all the pencils at the girl without hesitation, letting them slap against her and drop to the floor. "Are you happy now?"

The girl didn't respond in anyway. She just held her head down letting her hair cover her eyes and started mumbling something. She seemed to be speaking in a different language.

"What the hell are you saying?" Ichigo took in a heavy breath. "It doesn't matter to me, I'm leaving. I hope you enjoy the pencils." He teased loudly as he walked past her.

"Ichigo!" Chad went after the boy.

The crowd started to whisper.

The girl held her head up and turned around so that she could watch the boy walk away. "Kurosaki Ichigo, you have just failed the last test, now you're fate has been sealed." She smirked. "By sun down your soul will be transferred into the body of a cat."

Kurosaki Ichigo never made it home that day.

0o0o0

Inoue Orihime had just gotten off her shift at the local bakery down the street from Karakura Academy. Her days consisted of going to school then going straight to work; good thing the two were so close together. The only reason she was able to go to such an expensive school was because of good grades. She took her work very seriously. If she didn't, her aunt wouldn't even think twice about sending her money to pay for her tiny apartment.

Yes, Inoue Orihime had it rough, but she didn't let that stop her from living life. She had a beautiful appearance and such a bubbly personality that everyone loved. It was impossible for the beautiful girl to make any kind of enemies.

"I'm leaving!" She yelled to her boss who was in the kitchen preparing vanilla cupcakes.

"Alright, dear." The lady scooped up a basket full of a variety of different breads. "Take this." She handed the basket to Orihime.

"I-Is it alright?" She asked nervously, looking down at the bread then back up at her boss.

"I don't think I would give it to you if it wasn't." The older woman smiled gently. "Please take it. I don't like to waste."

It was then Orihime realized that this was the bread that was left over. They couldn't sell it tomorrow; it wouldn't be fresh and that was against their policy. "Thank you so much." She bowed in respect. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The older woman laughed. "No, you won't, tomorrow is Saturday."

Orihime made an 'o' shape with her mouth. "The weeks fly by so fast these days." She giggled. "Well, have a nice weekend. I'll see you on Monday." Orihime bowed again then quickly left the shop.

As Orihime walked home she whistled a lovely tune while holding the basket full of bread in front of her with both hands. She reminisced about her day: it was pretty normal, even the part where she witnessed Ichigo's daily drama.

'When we were little he was so kind and gentle.' Her smiling face turned into a worried frown while looking up at the sky. 'What happened to the Kurosaki-kun I use to know and love?'

0o0o0

Flash Back

"…7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Ready or not here I come!" Ichigo turned around form the tree now standing face to face with his childhood friend. "Orihime-chan." He studied her smile and how her short auburn hair blew in the wind. "Y-Your supposed to hide." He explained to her.

Orihime giggled, her wide eyes blinking innocently. "Silly, I don't think you'd be able to find me if I hid from you."

Ichigo rolled his chocolate eyes. "But that's part of the game." He placed his hands on his hips. "And what makes you think I won't be able to find you?"

"Because I'm good at hiding."

"Oh, yeah?" He asked. "And what do you hide from? Do you play thins game a lot with others?"

Orihime continued to smile as she shook her head "No…" She started. "But I hide from my dad all the…" Her smile slowly drained from her face, her small hands clasping in front of her.

"O-Orihime…"

0o0o0

Orihime laughed out loud. "But I doubt he remembers those days." She stopped in her tracks. "I doubt he remembers me at all…" She stared at the ground in clear disappointment. "It's been three years since we've last talked…"

Something orange at the corner of her eyes caught her attention.

"W-What is that?"

It looked like and orange little fur ball in the middle of the street. She looked around to see if the owner of the fur ball was anywhere to be seen, yet no one was in sight. She slowly crossed the street and kneeled down beside the fury thing.

"Oh my gosh it's a kitty!" She placed her hand on its tiny stomach to see if it was breathing. "It's still alive!" She scooped the little thing in his arms. "He must be unconscious, any cat would react if he was being picked up." She studied his body intently. "He's so small and… and orange." Orihime stood up. "I'll take him home." She smiled.

0o0o0

Ichigo woke up slowly to the smell of some kind of crazy food he couldn't recognize. He looked around the unfamiliar living room. It was pretty small, it had one couch a small coffee table and a television, nothing to fancy.

'W-where am I?' He thought.

Orihime walked into the living room from the kitchen. "Oh, you're up!" She smiled brightly.

Ichigo studied the girl closely. She looked too familiar to him. She had on the academy uniform so he might have seen her around school. But why was he at her house? It was then he realized how beautiful the girl was. She had waist long auburn hair, big beautiful silver eyes, creamy pale skin, a tiny waist and huge breasts. He was completely mesmerized.

'W-wait! I need to ask her what I'm doing here.' He glanced up at her.

"M-meow, meow, meow, meow…"

'W-What the…!' his mind screamed. 'D-did I just meow?'

Orihime looked at the kitten in awe. "You're so cute, kitty." She placed her index finger on her chin, pondering. "I wonder what I should name you."

'Kitty? What the hell is this girl talking about?' He thought again.

"Meow, meow, meow!"

He was going to ask her what the hell her deal was but all he could do was meow.

'Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?'

Orihime was oblivious to his inner turmoil, "You're such a cute little boy!" She grabbed him on both of his sides and brought his face to hers. "What do you want me to name you, kitty? Or do you already have a name?" She asked him with gentle kindness in her tone.

'HOW THE HELL IS SHE ABLE TO PICK ME UP? AND WHY DOES SHE KEEP CALLING ME A CAT?'

"MEOW, MEOW, MEOW!" He cried, panicking now.

'Why do I keep meowing?'

Orihime smiled again. "How about I call you Orangey since you're orange." She laughed with another loving smile.

'This girl must be crazy…And why does she think I'm a cat… wait I can't be a cat, can I?'

With that thought, Ichigo wiggled out of Orihime's hands – causing her to gasp in surprise – and ran into the nearest bathroom.

"Orangey-chan! Wait up!" Orihime cried out as she hurried after the male feline. She finally caught up to him in her bathroom. He had hopped onto the sink and was looking at himself in the mirror. "I bet you think you're cute looking." Orihime giggled merrily.

"Wha…wha…WHAT I'm a damn CAT!" Ichigo yelled.

But all that was heard was, "MEOW, MEOW, MEOW, MEEEEEEOOOOOW!"

'This must be a dream…'

Thanks for reading!